Kyrgyzstan: Murder Probe of Slain Journalist Gets a Break

The year-and-a-half-old investigation into the murder of journalist Alisher Saipov, an ethnic Uzbek who was gunned down in Kyrgyzstan's southern capital of Osh, has gained fresh impetus with the recent recovery of what police say is the murder weapon. But the chief investigator on the case says the lengthy inquiry is far from over, and that work continues on assembling evidence that can win a conviction in court.

Eshmurza Azimjanov, an FBI trained investigator with 20-years experience, has been on the case since Saipov was killed outside his office in Osh in October 2007. The investigation, which Azimjanov describes as extensive, expensive and resource-heavy, has been forced to adopt an inter-agency approach given the complexity and geographic stretch of the case.

The Makarov pistol that was used to kill Saipov was recovered on February 24 as part of an anti-drugs operation in Batken. Ballistics tests proved in early April that it was the same gun used to kill Saipov. At the time of his death, media rights activists widely suspected Uzbek security agents of having a role in the murder. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Recovering the murder weapon helps the investigation, yet it is only one part of a complicated puzzle, Azimjanov said. But one thing is certain: Saipov had made powerful enemies and was the victim of a meticulously planned contract hit, Azimjanov told EurasiaNet in an interview conducted on April 9.

As the lead investigator, he has ruled nothing out. His team has not discarded the possibility that the murder was related to Saipov's professional activities, and that non-Kyrgyz elements may have been behind the deadly attack. "A lot of work goes into to investigating any case, but with Saipov's murder we have to be even more careful because all ordered assassinations are very accurately planned and worked out in a very careful way," Azimjanov explained.

"[This type of work] demands much more attention and hard work. We had to create several investigation groups and spent a lot of time and resources doing that," he continued. "Also, the murder was at 7.08 pm in the evening, we had witnesses but it was hard for them to recognize faces due to [the evening's] darkness. We are still working on [this case] day and night."

There are several possible motives that investigators have been following, Azimjanov stressed. "We have a lot of versions and we are working with all of them," he said. "But we can't say anything official now because we must be able to prove what we say."

The weapon used to kill Saipov has also been linked to a brawl at an exclusive Bishkek nightclub in February 2008, involving the son of opposition leader Alikbek Jekshenkulov. During the course of their Saipov investigation, Azimjanov says they discovered another gun owned by Jekshenkulov -- not related to the assassination of Saipov -- that was apparently used in the murder of a Turkish citizen in Talas in 2007.

Jekshenkulov is currently in custody awaiting trial on related charges. Azimjanov says the two investigations are entirely separate. Nevertheless, Jekshenkulov's case has been an unwelcome distraction in terms of the public perception of their work, he admitted. "It happened to be so that while investigating one case we found some aspects of relation to a different case," he said.

Saipov's case has remained in the public spotlight, with the government frequently drawing criticism from media watchdogs. Marat Tokoev, the chairman of the Kyrgyz foundation "Journalists," said the organization was "shocked" by the investigation.

"I think they want to kill three rabbits with one shot. First, they want to calm down the media by announcing whatever results they have. Secondly, they want to intimidate Jekshenkulov; and third, they want to keep up good relations with Uzbekistan's secret services by cutting out their involvement in it," he said.

Tokoev said he had "big time" doubts that the case will ever end in the conviction of a culprit. "In my opinion, even if they resolve the investigation, they might use different names and falsify the results," he said.

Meanwhile, the director of the Osh Media Resource Center, Maksuda Aitieva, said the investigation was "going in the wrong direction." She insisted that a motive relating directly to Saipov's professional activities was the only lead worth pursuing. A host of international media watchdog organizations agree.

Azimjanov said his team is aware that in many ways the progress of the investigation would be seen as a measure of Kyrgyzstan's commitment to democratic principles. "The international attention only doubles our responsibility to solve the case and show that we can work with such cases and be proud of it. This attention is not a distraction, in some ways it helps," he said.